In Herpetological Highlights we will explore the recent scientific discoveries in the field of Herpetology. We'll cover everything from lizards to frogs, snakes, and toads. Every episode we'll be digging into the biology and ecology of these reptiles and amphibians in an attempt to disentangle the science. Hosted by Tom Major and Ben Marshall. Like us on facebook: www.facebook.com/herphighlights
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In Herpetological Highlights we will explore the recent scientific discoveries in the field of Herpetology. We'll cover everything from lizards to frogs, snakes, and toads. Every episode we'll be digging into the biology and ecology of these reptiles and amphibians in an attempt to disentangle the science. Hosted by Tom Major and Ben Marshall. Like us on facebook: www.facebook.com/herphighlights
Toads continue to amaze us - this time they are using their sense of the Earth's magnetic field to find their way home. But how important this sense is for cane toads as they travel home from long journeys, and how much are they relying on their sense of smell, was a mystery, until a clever new study tested the toads. Then we briefly touch on how pythons digest bones so successfully.
Main Paper References:
Fernandez RC, Sotelo MI. 2025. A toad’s journey home: towards elucidating the neural and sensory basis of amphibian navigation. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 292. DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2025.0525.
Shaykevich DA, Pareja-Mejía D, Golde C, Pašukonis A, O’Connell LA. 2025. Neural and sensory basis of homing behaviour in the invasive cane toad, Rhinella marina. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 292:20250045. DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2025.0045.
Other Mentioned Papers/Studies:
Lignot J-H, Pope RK, Secor SM. 2025. Diet-dependent production of calcium- and phosphorus-rich ‘spheroids’ along the intestine of Burmese pythons: identification of a new cell type? Journal of Experimental Biology 228:jeb249620. DOI: 10.1242/jeb.249620.
Other Links/Mentions:
Starr M. 2025.New Cell Discovered in Pythons Allows Them to Completely Digest Bones. Available at https://www.sciencealert.com/new-cell-discovered-in-pythons-allows-them-to-completely-digest-bones (accessed August 25, 2025).
Editing and Music:
Intro/outro – Treehouse by Ed Nelson
Species Bi-week theme – Michael Timothy
Other Music – The Passion HiFi, https://www.thepassionhifi.com
Herpetological Highlights
In Herpetological Highlights we will explore the recent scientific discoveries in the field of Herpetology. We'll cover everything from lizards to frogs, snakes, and toads. Every episode we'll be digging into the biology and ecology of these reptiles and amphibians in an attempt to disentangle the science. Hosted by Tom Major and Ben Marshall. Like us on facebook: www.facebook.com/herphighlights
